Chicago Mayor Defends Spending $281 Million in COVID-19 Federal Funding On Police

Chicago’s mayor on Friday said criticism over the city spending nearly $300 million it was given by the federal government for COVID-19 relief on the Chicago Police Department was “dumb.” “Criticism comes with the job of mayor, but this one’s just dumb,” Mayor Lori Lightfoot, a Democrat, told reporters in a briefing. Lightfoot said the funds went to police payroll costs and that the money helped the city avoid larger budget deficits. Chicago is facing a $1.2 billion shortfall this year. Chicago received about $1.2 billion from the U.S. government after Congress approved the massive CARES Act, a relief package, in the spring of 2020. “The federal government through the CARES Act funding gave us the opportunity to seek reimbursement for the expenses related to COVID-19 response, whether it was law enforcement, whether it was [health department] funds, and of course, on behalf of taxpayers in the city of Chicago, … Read More